Telecommunications patch panel with angled connector modules

ABSTRACT

A telecommunications patch panel is provided having a plurality of connector modules rotatably mounted to a frame member. Each connector module has a front face and an opposite facing rear face, and each front face includes a plurality of connector jacks. Each rear face includes a plurality of wire termination blocks. The wire termination blocks are electrically connected to the connector jacks. Each connector module is rotatable about a rotation axis relative to the frame member. A lock selectively locks each connector module to the frame member as desired. The connector jacks and the connector modules are arranged in linear arrays perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/446,916,filed on Jun. 5, 2006, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.11/112,139, filed Apr. 22, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,144, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 10/349,800, filed Jan. 22, 2003,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,199, which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 09/092,545, filed Jun. 5, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,106, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a telecommunications connecting paneland, more particularly, to a cross-connect patch panel including a framewith jacks on one side and wire termination locations on an oppositeside.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Local area networks and telecommunications connections often use patchpanels, especially at the customer's premises to enable cross-connectionbetween telecommunications equipment. Patch panels typically includefront and rear connection locations. The rear connections are typicallya more permanent type of connection, such as insulation displacementconnectors to connect to copper based, twisted pair telecommunicationscable. The front connections of the patch panel may include any of avariety of jacks for receipt of a plug of a patch cord or othertransmission cable. The jack and plug allows fairly rapid connection anddisconnection between two jacks in the same patch panel, or between onejack in the patch panel and another jack in a nearby patch panel, withthe patch cord. One type of jack and plug arrangement for a patch panelis an RJ45 type connector. U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,261 is an example of across-connect panel including rear insulation displacement connectors,and front connector jacks for receiving plugs of patch cords.

There is an increasing need for cable management in order to protect andorganize the various cables. One area where damage and/or loss ofperformance may occur with copper based, twisted pair cables is whenexcessive bending of the cable occurs. This is especially a concern ashigher frequencies are used, such as category 5 and greater. Fallingbelow minimum bend radii of the cables can adversely affect performancewith the transmission of signals through the copper wire patch cords.Therefore, there is a need for patch panels which address the cablemanagement concerns noted above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A telecommunications patch panel according to one aspect of theinvention includes a connector module, and a frame member for mountingthe connector module. The connector module includes a connector jackalong a front face. A rear face includes a connection location forconnecting to a conductive wire or other transmission cable. Eachconnector module defines an axis of rotation relative to the framemember generally parallel to the front face. The connector module ispositionable in one of three positions, a parallel position to the framemember, a first angled position relative to the frame member, and asecond angled position relative to the frame member where the secondangled position is in an opposite direction to the first angledposition.

A plurality of connector modules in at least one linear array arepreferably provided. Preferably, a plurality of connector jacks areprovided on each connector module. The connector jacks are preferablyarranged in linear arrays generally perpendicular to each axis ofrotation of the connector module or modules. Locks are provided to lockthe connector modules to the frame member in one of the selectedpositions.

According to another aspect of the present invention, atelecommunication patch panel includes a plurality of connector modulesincluding linear arrays of connector jacks with each jack connected to awire termination block. The connector modules are mounted to a framemember where each of the linear arrays of connector jacks is positionedat an angle relative to a front face of the frame member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a patch paneland a portion of a rack for holding the patch panel in accordance withthe present invention, with two connector modules angled to the left andtwo connector modules angled to the right when the panel is mounted tothe rack horizontally;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the patch panel of FIG. 1, showing front andrear connections to cables;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the patch panel of FIG. 1, showing allof the connector modules extending parallel to the frame;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the patch panel of FIG. 3, showing front andrear connections to cables;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the patch panel of FIG. 1, showing allof the connector modules angled to the left side of the frame;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the patch panel of FIG. 1, showing allof the connector modules angled to the right side of the frame;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the patch panel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an exploded top view of the patch panel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the locking pin of the patch panelof FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bracket of the patch panel of FIG.1;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the connector module of the patch panelof FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the connector module of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the connector module of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the connector module of FIG. 11, an oppositeside being a mirror image;

FIG. 15 is a rear view of the connector module of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the connector module of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of the circuit module of theconnector module of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a patch panel 20 isshown for use in connecting telecommunications equipment. Patch panel 20is especially useful to cross-connect equipment through one or more ofpatch panels 20 or other panels. Patch panel 20 mounts to a rack 22 ofconventional construction, such as with fasteners 26 passing throughholes 28 of patch panel 20 for receipt in holes 24 of rack 22. Patchpanel 20 includes a plurality of connector jacks 30, such as RJ45connector jacks, on a front side 21. Patch panel 20 further includes aplurality of connection locations 31, such as wire termination orconnection blocks 31 mounted on an opposite rear side 23. Preferably,termination blocks 31 include 110 type insulation displacementconnectors. Termination blocks 31 allow for connection of signaltransmission cables 46, each containing a plurality of conductive wires48. Connector jacks 30 allow for connection of signal transmission patchcables or cords 44 including conductive wires and further includingconnector end plugs 42. Circuitry electrically connects each terminationblock 31 to a connector jack 30.

Patch panel 20 includes a plurality of connector modules 32, where eachconnector module 32 includes a plurality of connector jacks 30. Theconnector modules 32 of patch panel 20 are arranged in a linear array.Each connector module 32 includes a linear array (e.g., a row) ofconnector jacks 30. One linear array of jacks 30 is shown per connectormodule 32. Two or more arrays could be provided. Alternative embodimentsinclude patch panels 20 with a single connector module 32. Also, eachconnector module 32 may be constructed with a single connector jack 30.As shown in FIG. 1, all of the connector modules 32 are shown alignedalong a horizontal plane HP, and the jacks 30 of the middle connectormodules 32 b, 32 c are aligned along horizontal lines HL₁, HL₂ thatintersect at a location 33 positioned in front of the frame 34. As shownin FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 34 includes front spacers 35 that separatethe modules 32 a, 32 b, 32 c and 32 d from one another.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each connector module 32 is mounted in anangled orientation relative to frame 34. Specifically, frame 34 includesa front plane or face 36, and each connector module 32 includes a frontplane or face 37 where each front face 37 of the connector modules 32 isat an angle relative to front face 36 of frame 34. Connector modules 32a, 32 b are angled to the left of frame 34, and connector modules 32 c,32 d are angled to the right. Alternatively stated, connector modules 32a, 32 b are angled clockwise, and connector modules 32 c, 32 d areangled counterclockwise, as viewed from a top of frame 34 as depicted inFIG. 2. As shown at FIG. 2, the plane 37 defined by module 32 bintersects with the plane 37 defined by module 32 c at an intersectionlocation positioned in front of the frame 34. As shown in FIG. 2, theangled relationship between the modules 32 b and 32 c provides agenerally v-shaped front connection interface defined by the rows offront connectors 30, and a generally v-shaped rear connection interfacedefined by the connection locations 31. If patch panel 20 was orientedvertically, then connector module 32 a, 32 b would be angled upwardly(or downwardly), and connector modules 32 c, 32 d would be angleddownwardly (or upwardly).

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the angle of displacement ofeach connector module 32 relative to frame 34 is about 15 degrees. Inthe case of patch cords 44 a, 44 b angled to the left, and patch cords44 c, 44 d angled to the right, such an angle provides strain relief soas to help prevent cable damage and/or loss of cable performance. Thecable positioning provided by the angled connector modules 32 helpsreduce the likelihood of falling below the minimum bend radius of thecable as each cable travels to other jacks or other equipment. Suchstrain relief is advantageous over a perpendicular mounting of theconnector plug relative to the cable pathway, such as illustrated inFIG. 4.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are provided to illustrate advantageous features of patchpanel 20 in accordance with the invention. Preferably, connector modules32 are rotatable relative to frame 34. In FIGS. 3 and 4, each connectormodule 32 has its front face 37 positioned generally parallel to frontface 36 of frame 34. Such an arrangement is useful when using atermination tool (not shown) to mount wires 48 to each of terminationblocks 31 in the case of insulation displacement connectors. A lock 40,shown generally in FIGS. 1 and 2, holds each connector module 32 toframe 34 during the termination operation. Lock 40 is releasable toallow rotation of each connector module 32 as desired. As shown in FIGS.1 and 2, connector modules 32 a, 32 b are rotated to the left, andconnector modules 32 c, 32 d are rotated to the right. One or moreconnector modules 32 can be left in the positions shown in FIGS. 3 and4, if desired. Alternatively, all the connector modules 32 can berotated to the left as shown in FIG. 5, or to the right as shown in FIG.6. To maintain the connector modules in the rotated positions, lock 40is reactivated. If desired, one or more of the connector modules 32 andframe 34 can be constructed in a permanently angled configurationrelative to front face 36 frame 34.

In FIGS. 2 and 4, cables 44 are shown as being directed away from patchpanel 20. It is to be noted that the opposite ends of cables 44 can beconnected to other connector jacks 30 of patch panel 20. Also, patchpanel 20 is useable in both cross-connect systems, and in inter-connectsystems, as desired. Providing strain relief so as to not fall belowminimum bend radii is also an issue with fiberoptic transmission cables.The telecommunications patch panel 20 of the present invention is alsouseful in fiber applications with appropriately configured fiberopticconnectors.

Lock 40 is a preferred feature for patch panel 20. However, a patchpanel 20 where the lock is not activated, or a patch panel 20 where nolock is present are both advantageous arrangements. In those instances,each connector module 32 is positionable to the left (fully orpartially), to the right (fully or partially) or parallel as desired.For connector modules which are freely rotatable, the modules 32 maymove to a new position from an original position to provide the strainrelief, as the patch cords 44 are added or changed.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 through 17, additional details of patch panel20 are shown. Each connector module 32 includes pins 50 extending inopposite directions and defining a rotation axis 52 (see FIG. 11). Eachrotation axis 52 is generally perpendicular to the linear array definedby connector jacks 30. Pins 52 are received in holes 54 of frame 34. Therotatable mounting of each connector module 32 to frame 34 could also beaccomplished with a fastener passing through holes 54.

Frame 34 generally includes a top portion 34 a and an opposing bottomportion 34 b. End bracket portions 34 c, 34 d on opposite ends of frame34 include rack mounting holes 28 noted above. End struts 34 e arecontinuous with end bracket portions 34 c, 34 d. Middle struts 34 fextend between top and bottom portions 34 a, 34 b. Struts 34 e, 34 f andtop and bottom portions 34 a, 34 b define a linear array of openings foreach receiving a connector module 32. Holes 54 of frame 34 arepositioned in top and bottom portions 34 a, 34 b for holding theindependently rotatable connector modules 32 about each respectiverotation axis 52. The rotation axes 52 extend transversely relative tothe linear arrays of connector jacks 30, and also a linear array definedby the plurality of connector modules 32.

A plurality of locking pins 60, and brackets 76 are mounted to frame 34.Each locking pin 60 includes a shaft 62, two spaced apart tabs 64, 66, afirst tool engageable end 68, and an opposite end 70. Each tab 64, 66has two ends extending in opposite directions. End 70 is received inhole 56 in a respective end or middle strut 34 e, 34 f. Tool engageableend 68 is received in an aperture 80 of bracket 76. Bracket 76 ismounted to top and bottom portions 34 a, 34 b of frame 34 with twofasteners 82 positioned through apertures 58. Each fastener 82 isreceived in a hole 78 of bracket 76. Once brackets 76 are mounted toframe 34, locking pin 60 is rotatable between an unlocked position, anda locked position. The locked position is shown in the Figures. Theunlocked position is where shaft 62 is rotated 90 degrees about itslongitudinal axis, such as with a flathead screwdriver received in toolengageable end 68.

Each connector module 32 includes detents 84, 86 on each end. Lock 40 isconstructed wherein tabs 64, 66 are received in detents 84, 86 whenconnector module 32 is locked in the position shown in FIG. 3. Whenconnector modules 32 are rotated out of plane 36 of frame 34, only onetab 64, 66 is received in one of detents 84, 86. When lock 40 is rotated90 degrees from the position shown in the Figures, none of tabs 64, 66are received in any of detents 84, 86 so as to allow free rotation ofconnector modules 32. Locks 40 associated with middle struts 34 f offrame 34 each lock two adjacent connector modules 32.

Each connector module 32 includes a circuit module 90 and a face plate92. Circuit module 90 includes a printed circuit board 94 having agenerally planar construction. As shown in FIG. 17, pins 96 of eachtermination block 31 project through printed circuit board 94 and aresoldered to the board. As shown in FIG. 15, connector jacks 30 includepins 98 projecting through printed circuit board 94, and the pins aresoldered to the board. Connector jacks 30 also include two tabs 102which snap mount to printed circuit board 94 through apertures 100 asshown in FIG. 15. Printed circuit board 94 includes circuit pathways toelectrically link each connector jack 30 with one of the terminationblocks 31. Connector jacks 30 are shown in the Figures with the clipreceiving portion of the jack facing vertically downwardly.

Face plate 92 preferably snap mounts to circuit module 90. Opposite ends110 of face plate 90 include inner snaps 112 for snap fitting engagementof an edge of printed circuit board 94. (See, for example, FIG. 12).Such a construction allows for repair or replacement of circuit module90 or face plate 92, as desired.

Face plate 92 includes a central opening 108 for exposing connectorjacks 30. Face plate 92 further includes outwardly facing stops 114 oneach end 110 which limit the amount of rotation of connector module 32during use. Each stop 114 engages one edge 116 of bracket 76 so as tolimit the amount of rotation of connector module to approximately plusor minus 15 degrees in the preferred embodiment. Each face plateincludes a front designation strip area 120 for labeling of connectorjacks 30.

Examples of connector jacks 30 and termination blocks 31 are shown inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,700,167; 5,674,093; 5,639,261; 5,591,045; 5,310,363;5,299,956; and 3,611,264.

The above specification and examples provide a complete description ofthe manufacture and use of the invention. Since many embodiments of theinvention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. A telecommunications panel comprising: a frame having a length thatextends from a left end to a right end of the frame, the frame includinga left mounting bracket positioned at the left end of the frame and aright mounting bracket positioned at the right end of the frame, theframe also including upper and lower portions tat extend along thelength of the frame; and a plurality of connector modules mountedbetween the upper and lower portions of the frame and between the leftand right ends of the frame, each of the connector modules including afront side at which a plurality of front connectors are located and arear side at which a plurality of rear connectors are located, theconnector modules being pivotally movable about generally upright pivotaxes that extend between the upper and lower portions of the frame, eachconnector module having a height that extends between the upper andlower portions of the frame and a length that extends between the leftand right ends of the frame, the lengths of the connector modules beinglonger than the heights, and the lengths of the connector modules beinggenerally perpendicular relative to the pivot axes.